AI Usage at a Glance
Oct 25, 2022
Creative GenPractice documented: iStock offers a suite of AI-powered image editing tools that allow users to modify both AI-generated images and licensed photos from iStock's library, including tools for inpainting, background removal, outpainting, and product background replacement. These features, developed with Bria, have been progressively rolled out from early 2024 through 2025.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Jan 8, 2024
Creative GenPractice documented: Getty Images deployed Generative AI by iStock, a lower-cost AI image generator targeted at small businesses, designers, and marketers, in January 2024. The tool is available to all iStock customers in over 75 languages and includes the same legal indemnification as the flagship Getty Images tool.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Jan 8, 2024
Creative GenPractice documented: iStock offers Generative AI by iStock, a text-to-image tool that lets customers type a description and receive commercially licensed AI-generated images, launched in January 2024. The tool is trained exclusively on Getty Images' licensed creative library and is powered by a custom machine learning model developed with Bria.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Jan 8, 2024
ModerationPractice documented: iStock uses an automated prompt-blocking system within its Generative AI tool to prevent users from generating images of recognizable people, trademarked logos, copyrighted characters, or other legally risky content. The system also enforces a policy against generating photo-realistic depictions of people who are not real.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Jan 9, 2024
Creative GenNew evidence: Getty Images launches a new GenAI service for iStock customers
Evidence AddedView practice →Mar 13, 2024
RecommendationPractice documented: iStock deployed Enhanced Search, an AI-powered search feature, in March 2024, allowing customers to find stock images, videos, and illustrations using natural, conversational language rather than exact keyword matches. Enhanced Search is turned on by default for all creative searches on istockphoto.com.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Dec 3, 2024
Creative GenNew evidence: iStock Gen AI Revolutionizes Creative Content in 2024 with Powerful New Tools
Evidence AddedView practice →Jan 1, 2025
RecommendationPractice documented: iStock offers a reverse image and video search feature that uses AI image recognition to let users upload a reference photo or video clip and find visually similar stock content from iStock's library, without needing to type keywords.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Feb 1, 2025
Creative GenNew evidence: Product Updates | Generative AI by iStock
Evidence AddedView practice →Apr 1, 2025
Creative GenNew evidence: Commercially safe Unlimited AI Image Generation and Modification | Generative AI by iStock
Evidence AddedView practice →May 1, 2025
ModerationPractice documented: iStock uses a policy — enforced through contributor guidelines and file inspection — to exclude externally AI-generated images from its licensable stock library, while permitting contributors to use AI tools for minor retouching only. The contributor guidelines explicitly bar files created with generative AI tools such as Stable Diffusion, DALL-E, Midjourney, or Adobe Firefly.
Practice DocumentedView practice →Mar 9, 2026
RecommendationNew evidence: Getting Started: iStock Search Guide
Evidence AddedView practice →Mar 9, 2026
RecommendationNew evidence: Getting Started: iStock Search Guide
Evidence AddedView practice →iStock uses a policy — enforced through contributor guidelines and file inspection — to exclude externally AI-generated images from its licensable stock library, while permitting contributors to use AI tools for minor retouching only. The contributor guidelines explicitly bar files created with generative AI tools such as Stable Diffusion, DALL-E, Midjourney, or Adobe Firefly.
iStock's contributor requirements (updated May 2025) state that files created or substantially modified using generative AI models are not accepted for the stock library. Contributors may use AI tools only for minor retouching covering no more than 10% of an image's pixels, and may not add new elements using generative AI. The platform also does not accept photo-realistic AI-generated depictions of people. File submissions go through an inspection process described in contributor documentation; the specific role of AI in that inspection process is not confirmed in available sources — the inspection timeline suggests human review (3–15 business days).
iStock offers a suite of AI-powered image editing tools that allow users to modify both AI-generated images and licensed photos from iStock's library, including tools for inpainting, background removal, outpainting, and product background replacement. These features, developed with Bria, have been progressively rolled out from early 2024 through 2025.
iStock offers Generative AI by iStock, a text-to-image tool that lets customers type a description and receive commercially licensed AI-generated images, launched in January 2024. The tool is trained exclusively on Getty Images' licensed creative library and is powered by a custom machine learning model developed with Bria.
Getty Images deployed Generative AI by iStock, a lower-cost AI image generator targeted at small businesses, designers, and marketers, in January 2024. The tool is available to all iStock customers in over 75 languages and includes the same legal indemnification as the flagship Getty Images tool.
iStock uses a policy — enforced through contributor guidelines and file inspection — to exclude externally AI-generated images from its licensable stock library, while permitting contributors to use AI tools for minor retouching only. The contributor guidelines explicitly bar files created with generative AI tools such as Stable Diffusion, DALL-E, Midjourney, or Adobe Firefly.
iStock uses an automated prompt-blocking system within its Generative AI tool to prevent users from generating images of recognizable people, trademarked logos, copyrighted characters, or other legally risky content. The system also enforces a policy against generating photo-realistic depictions of people who are not real.
iStock offers a reverse image and video search feature that uses AI image recognition to let users upload a reference photo or video clip and find visually similar stock content from iStock's library, without needing to type keywords.
iStock deployed Enhanced Search, an AI-powered search feature, in March 2024, allowing customers to find stock images, videos, and illustrations using natural, conversational language rather than exact keyword matches. Enhanced Search is turned on by default for all creative searches on istockphoto.com.
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iStock uses an automated prompt-blocking system within its Generative AI tool to prevent users from generating images of recognizable people, trademarked logos, copyrighted characters, or other legally risky content. The system also enforces a policy against generating photo-realistic depictions of people who are not real.
iStock's FAQ states that the platform has 'taken care to block prompts that could generate problematic content.' The underlying AI model (powered by Bria) was trained exclusively on licensed data and engineered to prevent outputs that include known brands, trademarked products, public figures, or other copyrighted elements. Additionally, iStock's contributor policy explicitly prohibits photo-realistic AI-generated depictions of people in uploaded content. The prompt-blocking system operates automatically at the point of generation on the iStock AI Generator console.
iStock offers a reverse image and video search feature that uses AI image recognition to let users upload a reference photo or video clip and find visually similar stock content from iStock's library, without needing to type keywords.
The Search by Image feature analyzes the visual content of an uploaded image — including composition, colors, and subjects — and returns the most visually similar results from iStock's stock library. A parallel Search by Video feature applies the same approach to uploaded video clips. The feature is available on the iStock website as a supplementary search mode alongside keyword and Enhanced Search. It uses AI-based visual analysis rather than text-based metadata matching.
